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Learn About the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Apartheid

A detailed description of the situation on the ground in Israel and the Occupied Territories can be found at our case for divestment page. However, we also encourage you to consult the wide array of other resources that are available, and on this page we have categorized and provided links to many of them. If you have any questions or would like further information, please feel free to join our mailing list and/or come along to our next event.

On the Use of the Term "Apartheid":

We are using "apartheid" to describe the situation in the Occupied Territories, not in Israel proper. We understand that Apartheid is a proper noun referring to the situation as it existed in South Africa, and thus choose to use the word as generally defined under international law.

Q: "The word apartheid—did you agonize about that?"

A: "Not really, I didn't agonize because I knew that's an accurate description of what's going on in Palestine. I would say that the plight of the Palestinians now—the confiscation of their land, that they're being suppressed completely against voicing their disapproval of what's happening, the building of the wall that intrudes deep within their territory, the complete separation of Israelis from the Palestinians—all of those things in many ways are worse than some of the aspects of apartheid in South Africa. There is no doubt about it, and no one can go there and visit the different cities in Palestine without agreeing with what I have said." —Jimmy Carter interviewed in Newsweek, January 1, 2007

We choose to define apartheid as the United Nations does, based on Article II of the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, and more recently, Article VII of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Specifically, these documents define apartheid as "inhumane acts … committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime" and "inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them … [including] denial … to the right to life and liberty, … murder…, arbitrary arrest, … measurses designed to divide the population along racial lines, … persecution, … torture … and punishment.", respectively.

The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), an independent, non-profit organization that provides journalists with quick access to information about Palestine and Palestinians, has produced a simple report which, through a series of frequently asked questions, analyzes why some call Israel an apartheid state. We have also prepared our own set of FAQs.

Primers and Introductory Materials:

News Sources:

Divestment-Related Sites:

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Audio/Video Resources:

Books:

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